The Miami Dolphins are presented with 3 equally intriguing and seemingly compelling options at the Quarterback position as we approach the 2012 NFL Draft. The first option became available on March 7th as Peyton Manning, a “Vested Veteran” was released from the Colts, and as such has become an Unrestricted Free Agent eligible to negotiate and sign with any team of his choosing. A second option involves Green Bay backup QB Matt Flynn who on March 6 was declined franchise tag status by the Packers and now too becomes a Free Agent. Finally, there is the prospect of drafting this past year’s Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, otherwise known as RG3, whose combine stats were off the charts, but whose draft choice compensation price tag may be equally as high for the Fins.

Peyton Manning – The Miami Herald has reported that this 35-year old superstar is the Fins’ No. 1 option. Of course, this declaration comes with some rather large caveats. Considering that Peyton is coming off 3 neck fusion surgeries in the past year, and his workouts have been private, he must first pass a physical with any team that considers signing him, and more importantly he must physically impress them on the practice field in workouts prior to that point. Indeed, there are rumors that the strength of his arm and the velocity of his throws are vastly improving – but these are mere rumors. No one in the NFL public eye has confirmed this as fact nor deemed him the same Peyton of old. In the event such confirmation is ultimately secured, then – and only then – does Manning become a high-valued prospect worthy of starter status. Otherwise, a team would only be gauging his value based on his past performance of 14 years, albeit a superb history at that. Manning has indicated that he would be willing to structure an incentive-laden, performance-based heavy contract. This is an attractive feature for sure. But if he is deemed the Peyton of old (and not just an old Peyton), before throwing even one pass for a new team, the upside seems to be a maximum of 3 years assuming no re-aggravation of the neck injury or injuring another body part, which is historically common for a player who has not been active for a year or more, much less being exposed to the rigors of that position. Yet, the talk seems to be that the Fins would rather have up to 3 years of instant relevance and immediate entry into the conversation of Super Bowl contender (assuming the defense holds up) rather than taking their chances with unproven commodities. It is this writer’s opinion that while the latter holds merit, the Fins should handcuff PM with Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M who is slotted as the 3rd best QB in the draft. This will allow for a grooming process as a potential future franchise QB, while still maintaining a decent backup in Matt Moore in case Manning should go down with expected – uh – unexpected injury. Remember that even if Manning is declared healthy, strong, and capable, there will be some growing pains with a new unit, a new regime, a new offense, and new receivers (but expect Reggie Wayne to join) not to mention establishing chemistry. But if anyone is a quick-learner – it’s Peyton Manning, widely known as the hardest working player in football.

Matt Flynn – While the name lacks the same luster of a Manning or RG3, this guy may actually be the most stable option for the Fins. Again, there are questions, and one of them is his unproven status at the NFL level that can be measured by anything more than a small window of success. The Herald has this newly minted free agent as Miami’s self-proclaimed No. 2 option behind Manning. Yours truly stated on this very blog nearly 2 years ago – and told anyone who would listen at unnamed Starbucks locations throughout Miami-Dade County, that Flynn should be the future of the Fins (at the time hating Henne and not knowing PM would be available soon). Flynn won a college championship with LSU, and was the understudy of Aaron Rogers with the Pack. He started only 2 games for GB: At NE in ‘10 and home vs Detroit this past year. In the Pats’ game, Bellichick decided to throw mixed man, zone and blitz packages designed to confuse and fluster the rookie. Flynn not only did not flinch, but he beat all the schemes thrown at him and performed better than anyone expected, albeit in a loss due to team defensive woes that night. In Lions’ game, and sans his best WR in Jennings, Flynn threw 6 TDs against an overmatched secondary. Not even the great Rodgers, who had played 3 years in that system, ever threw for as many touchdowns in a single game. Flynn is cerebral type with great athletic attributes but not quite the arm of a Rodgers. Many compare him to Chad Pennington but with a better arm and none of the injury baggage. A major attractive feature of Flynn is that Fins’ HC Philbin was Matt’s OC at GB and the Fins’ current OC Sherman is expected to run the offense with which Flynn is intimately familiar. Flynn will be 27 when the season starts and the only compensation that the Fins will concern themselves with is salary, which is not the case with Option 3.

RG3 – Any QB that runs a 4.4 in the 40-yd dash is a head-turner. RG3 can do more than run as well – at least at the college level. Yet, the former Baylor H-T winner is still an unproven commodity at the NFL plateau, and the price for obtaining his rights in compensation to St. Louis who drafts at No. 2 (after the Colts are expected to take Andrew Luck) may be cost prohibitive. He will likely be a franchise type player for the next 15+ years – as was Peyton Manning, John Elway and Dan Marino. But he could also be a flash-in-the pan guy like Akili Smith and Andre Ware (HT winner) who were also first round picks largely due to their college prowess. Worse, he could suffer the fate of more notable first round busts such as Ryan Leaf, Rick Mirer, Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, and countless others with huge NFL potential that just never panned out. The Rams reportedly want a swap of first round picks, a no. 2 & 3 pick and next year’s no. 1 – at minimum. This seems a bit steep considering the Fins can get a Peyton-Tannehill combo OR a Flynn for zero draft choice compensation whatsoever. However, if the 2 latter options don’t materialize – suddenly, those draft picks are really not that much to give, now are they?

My opinion: As much as I would love to have instant relevance and hype surrounding the team, I believe that if the Fins can sign Flynn and then double up with an aggressive move in obtaining a WR such as speedster, Pro Bowl WR Mike Wallace or Vincent Jackson, or even trading up to draft phenom Justin Blackmun, they should go that route first. PM will keep us up at night (no pun intended) with injury concerns. And we won’t want him if it means hoping that Tannehill will excel 3+ years down the road. For my money, Matt Moore is a decent QB not too far off from star status if you provide him with the requisite weapons. At worst he is a very capable backup. RG3 looks explosive – but I don’t like running QBs in the NFL other than for short-term Fantasy stats. I could be wrong here but I wouldn’t take the chance on him unless PM & Flynn are no longer options There is no doubt Manning is the fans’ choice right now, and maybe the Fins can get “lucky” and he can stay healthy en route to some title shots. But the odds are that the more long-term, cost-effective approach would be to build with a more stable solution – and that’s what Yours Truly still believes Flynn brings to the table, especially with the coaching components in place. No matter what choice the Fins make, any of the above 3 are likely to improve on the status quo (but MM will still make some noise before its over).

That’s all for now.

By: Eric Miller

There are several restaurants setup with large screen televisions that are perfect for watching the game. A sure place to get food, drinks and raging excitment is the North Miami Beach Ale House on 163rd Street. A few blocks East and you’ll find Duffy’s Sports Grill on the water. Duffy’s has a great Wings ad posted on Facebook, for the Super Bowl.

If you’re looking to stay closer, check out Avenue 29 there’s MASSIVE screen for the game and delicious sophisticated bar snacks & drink specials – free hotdogs and more.

Are you in the mood to bar hop from place to place, check out the Village at Gulfstream. Here you’ll find awesome restaurants like Yard House and The Playwright, each with televisions throughout their space. Depending on the weather, you can watch the first half at one place and then jump to another.

The Playwright Specials include:
5 for $15 Bucket
$10 Pitchers
$5 Margaritas

There a many restaurants around Aventura that make a perfect spot to enjoy the game with friends and family. Regardless of the team you’re cheering to win, it’s well worth going out and having some fun!

Where are you going for Super Bowl Sunday?

–

Disclosure: This is not an advertorial/sponsored post; however, The Playwright and Avenue 29 are advertisers.

The New York Football Giants have followed the same formula which not only propelled them to the Big Dance this year, but that also won it all for them in ‘08. Meanwhile the New England Patriots’ road to success has embarked on a much different trail than 4 years ago, yet their ultra-reliance on Mr. Brady’s talents is what will ultimately spell doom for them again.

As predicted by Yours Truly when NY beat Dallas to win its division at 9-7, the G-Men’s renewed health and hotness at the right time, especially knowing that they had stayed close in a regular season match-up with the seemingly unbeatable Packers, would place them in the same position as when they last won it all. Ironically, they face the same team that stood in their way back then, with one notable difference: The Giants beat the Patriots this year in Week 8 of the regular season (lost to them in ‘08). This fact historically does not bode well for NY, as the last 3 teams to win the regular season matchup, lost in the Super Bowl against the same team (of course, this includes the Giants in ‘08).

But there is one unmistakable aspect of this Giants’ team that mirrors that of their last title run. Simply put, the G-Men are built to pass rush and create pressure on prolific passers. See the tape of NY’s win over the Pats in their last common SB. Pressure up the middle, from the sides, and everywhere on Brady caused sacks, hurried throws, and untimely mishaps. Now sans retired DE Strahan, the Giants perhaps pose an even stronger pass rush from their D-Line with JPP, Tuck, and Osi. And let’s not forget the anchor Chris Canty, who is responsible for getting push up the middle and an effective stop-gap vs. the run. Their unique ability to place pressure on predictable passers such as Rodgers and Brady without using the blitz lets them spend other player resources on pass coverage and run-based issues. The key question will be whether these freed-up resources will be able to keep up with the two-headed TE monster that the Pats present. Ultimately, the Pats’ ability or lack thereof to vary their dependence on the passing game will determine their fate.We all know that if you give Darth Belichick 2 weeks to prep for anyone, he’ll have some sleeve-aces ready, so watch for new looks that will place pressure on the NY coaches to adjust. The tacticians and technicians will have a lot to say about this game’s outcome.

Unlike the undefeated Pats team of ‘08, this year’s version of Hoody’s squad does not feature an especially ominous deep pass game. Back then, Randy Moss was fresh off his record-breaking TD campaign (23), as was Brady (50). This season, teams must contend with an aerial game mainly reliant on short-to-intermediate strikes to 2 prolific pass-catching TE’s: Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez (intermixed with the unstoppable slot game of Wes Welker). Anyone who plays Fantasy Football knows either TE can kill you, but it is the former that scares the excrement out of all NFL defenses. Gronk must be either bracketed with a LB and Safety or assigned to an elite cover CB. The Giants don’t really have the latter, so watch out here. Hernandez lines up as a blocker, in the slot, as a wideout and recently in the backfield. He even carries the ball! I expect many formation nuances from the offense in this one to create mismatches and decoy opportunities designed to spring someone like D.Branch (or Ocho) deep for a big play or 2. Deception may also lead to effective running plays for RB Green-Ellis, as the “Law Firm” may school the NY LB’s en route to a class action day (I’ll be here all week…leave a tip for your servers).

Containing Brady may be a tall task but a realistic one, and yet perhaps an easier goal to achieve than corralling the hottest 4th Quarter QB of all time: Eli Manning. Indeed, Eli’s stats in the final stanza of games this season and in the Playoffs are ridiculous and an equal factor to the defense in propelling NY to greatness. Students of the game are actually calling Eli “elite” and mentioning him in the same breath as…Tom Brady. History has yet to shed ultimate light on that debate, but there is no denying the value of No. 10 and his deserved status as one of the top QB’s in the game. Last week, his limited but solid success against the staunch and ferocious 49′er defense was a credit to his toughness and his trio of talented WR’s: Nicks, Cruz and Manningham. I don’t see any one scheme or player on the Pats limiting these guys come Sunday. The thought of WR/PR/CB/WaterBoy Edelman covering Cruz in the slot must be mouth-watering to Giants’ fans. And while Belichik has his defense playing way above the level of a 32nd ranked regular season squad, Eli and Co. will likely be able to gash the Pats’ D with both pass plays and run chunks. Only NT Woolfork will have something to say (or eat) about whether the run game will produce with Bradsahw or Jacobs (91 yards Nov 6 vs NY). If the Pats blitz as expected (watch Nimkovich), look for dump-offs to each, especially Ahmad to break big. The Pats, much like the Pack until their playoff loss to NY, have been bending but prevailing based on creating turnovers. The Giants offense takes good care of the ball, and this fact will make the key difference in spelling victory for Big Blue.

Super Bowl 46 Prediction: NY Giants 27, New England Patriots 24.

One final note: If NE manages to win this game – for any reason – QB Tom Brady will have won his 4th Super Bowl, and will likely be considered the greatest QB of all time. I’m partial to Marino, regardless of having not won any titles in a sport that hinges on much more than the performance of a single player.

By Eric Miller

It has been well-documented that Fins’ owner Stephen Ross hopes to land a “young Don Shula”. But the answer to the organization’s yearning to again be competitive for a post-season trophy lies more in what they need to improve on than in the persona of a coach likely to summon glory days again.

So what is it that the Dolphins are fairly good at, and what are they lacking? Well, the defense seems to be a steady, if not spectacular unit, led by a well-respected coordinator in Mike Nolan who plays aggressive schemes and has the horses, for the most part, to execute them. Their signings of free agents Burnett and Dansby in the past 2 years, along with the drafting of Odrick and Misi to complement Pro Bowler Wake gives them the core to stop the run and play strong 7-man fronts. Another elite pass rusher is needed, but CB V.Davis is an elite cover man himself, and the safeties are good enough to get it done on many levels. Moreover, the defense is considered a unit that needs little tweaking and is well coordinated.

This leads one to the inescapable conclusion that if the Dolphins were to significantly improve their offense, a championship could lurk closer than objects in your rear view mirror. Historically, NFL head coaches and their star quarterbacks have been inextricably linked to winning a title. High profile combos such as Lombardi-Star, Noll-Bradshaw, Belichick-Brady, and recently Peyton-Brees are just some examples. Miami is now on the verge of a draft featuring a few high-profile college quarterbacks such as Matt Barkley of USC, Andrew Luck of Stanford, Robert Griffin III of Baylor, Landry Jones of Oklahoma, and Kellen Moore of Boise St. Coincidentally, the organization has an opportune window to start anew by hiring a HC who can develop this new QB talent and be forever linked to superstardom if the right decisions are made.

The right decision is to hire a head coach with proven experience as an offensive mind, who has developed QB talent, and who has championship experience at the NFL level. 2 names scream at me: 1) John Gruden and 2) Brian Billick. Each has won Super Bowls, Gruden with the Bucs and Billik with the Ravens. Gruden has developed QB’s such as Gannon later in his career and won with an average QB in Brad Johnson thanks primarily to a devastatingly dominant defense. Still, his career as offensive coordinator and QBs coach in the league gives him the penultimate pedigree as offensive Guru. Billick was the mastermind of the Vikings offense back in the Randy Moss and Cris Carter era, and his development of Duante Culpepper is well-documented. His struggles with the Ravens offense during a Super Bowl title run were overshadowed by perhaps the best defense of all time, on par with the ‘85 Bears. Both candidates are in the media, and both are a couple of years removed from their coaching stints, both of which ended on down notes.

My choice is Gruden because he appears to be the younger and more “with-it” offensive mind. Billick is a bit more regimented in his ways, but a Guru nonetheless. Each can develop a franchise QB and knows what it takes to take a team all the way. This is what the Dolphins need. Let’s see what they do about it.

That’s all for now.

By Eric Miller

Below are this week’s Top 5 high-to-medium confidence picks. Star-Ratings for Fantasy Players follow. But first, a brief summary of a legendary comeback in one of my fantasy football leagues.

Last week, I was watching my normal slew of NFL games at the local sports bar (all of them on NFL Sunday Ticket) and was fairly confident of my chances for a win going into halftime of the Pats-Eagles game, being up 10 points and still having 2 players in the Monday Night affair. This all changed when Tom Brady decided to go on a tare, topping it off in dramatic form with a late 4th Q TD pass to TE Gronkowski. My opponent, of course, had Brady AND Gronkowski. So I now found myself down 36 points with the likely prospect of defeat and sure elimination from Fantasy League playoff contention, with only the Giants’ WR V.Cruz and Saints’ KI Kasay left to play on my roster. My world was bleak. The first 2 quarters of the MN contest was mostly uneventful with both players amassing just 11 points between them. Then suddenly as the 4th quarter started, an Eli Manning play-fake pass found a wide open #80 streaking down the middle of the field 10+ yards ahead of the nearest defender, and 72 glorious yards later (with no flags), I was down only 9 points! So, now it got interesting. There were 10 minutes plus remaining and the Giants would get the ball back. First play – pass to Cruz. Third play – pass to Cruz again. And yet another pass to the Cruz Missile. I was down by a single point, and the G-Men had the ball with goal to go at the 6. Only a Cruz score would do it for me with just a few minutes left in the game. I scanned the field as Eli broke the huddle. Where was Cruz? I couldn’t find him. Wait…he’s in the slot… Eli drops back to pass and throws a deep fade, out-pattern to the corner of the end zone – AND ITS CAUGHT BY VICTOR CRUZ FOR THE TOUCHDOWN! The comeback was complete. I had won by 7 points! I was in euphoric ecstasy, not being able to intelligibly pronounce words as my girlfriend asked “did you win?”. YES, I WON! AND WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! On the other end, my opponent was in shocked disbelief. He has not been seen for a week now. I hope he’s ok. All I know for now is that I live to play another week. Isn’t Fantasy Football great?

This Week’s NFL Picks (spreads are as of Saturday’s Herald)

1. HOU (+3) vs ATL (Spread is low due to QB TJ Yates – 3rd stringer starting; but Texans’ defense too much and will shut down Turner and pressure QB Ryan all day)
2. JAC (+2.5) vs SD (Lots of changes for Jags this past week, but Bolts can’t stop MJD, nor can they run ball vs. Jax staunch run-D; Rivers can’t do it all away on MNF anyway)
3. DAL (-4.5) @ ARZ (Line seems too low here, even with Kolb back for Cards. Romo is red hot and RB Murray should run all day on under-manned hosts)
4. CHI (-7) vs KC (Spread would be higher but for backup QB Hanie playing sub-par last week; this week RB Forte is workhorse, and KC offense & horrid Palko shut down vs Bears D at home)
5. NYG (+7) vs GB (I’m not calling for an upset here, just a closer game than most expect; explosive G-Men at home with backs-to-wall may be pitfall for seemingly unstoppable Pack)

Below are my Star* ratings of Fantasy starters for this week’s games (and in order within the star list).
[5*: Elite starter; 4*: Excellent play; 3*: Good choice; 2*: Decent but iffy; 1*: Desperation starter]:

QB:
5* – Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Stafford
4* – Rivers, Eli, Romo
3* – Big Ben, Ryan, Dalton, M.Moore, Cam, Tebow (really)
2* – Palmer, Sanchez, Orlovsky, A.Smith, Flacco
1* – Fitzpatrick, Ponder, Kolb, Hanie

RB:
5* – Foster, MJD, Forte, Rice
4* – Gore (inj), Murray, Blount
3* – McGahee, R.Bush, CJ2K, Sproles & Ingram, BGE, DeAngelo & Stewart, Helu
2* – Spiller, Mendy, Turner (inj), Wells, M.Bush, S. Green, Mathews, Tolbert, Starks, S.Jax, K.Smith (inj), Gerhardt
1* – Bradshaw (inj), Jacobs, Hillis, Barber, D.Thomas, D.Brown

WR:
5* – Calvin, Welker
4* – Wallace, Cruz, S.Smith, Jennings, Jordy
3* – Dez, LoRo, Roddy, AJ Green, VJax, Marshall, Andre Johnson, Nicks (inj)
2* – Fitzgerald, S.Johnson, L.Moore, Colston, M.Williams, A.Brown, Decker, Harvin, Julio (inj), Branch, Boldin, Lloyd, Garcon, Wayne, Plaxico, Holmes, S.Moss, Bowe, Knox
1* – N.Washington, Little, T.Smith, Burleson, Simpson, V.Brown, D.Williams, Douglass

TE:
5* Gronkowski, Graham
4* Gates, Tony G, Witten
3* Hernandez, F.Davis, V.Davis
2* H.Miller, Keller, Olsen, Gresham, Pettigrew, Chandler
1* Winslow, Fasano, Cook, Mercedes Lewis

KI:
5* Kasay, Novak, Janikowski, Crosby
4* Suisham, Gould, Rackers
3* Gostkowski, Nugent, Cundiff
2* Bironas, Schobee, Folk, Ganot

DF:
5* Bears, 49′ers, Patriots, Ravens
4* Packers, Jets, Steelers
3* Dolphins, Broncos, Texans
2* Saints, Bengals, Bucs, Cowboys, Jags, Vikings

By: Eric Miller

The Fins played well enough to win against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, but didn’t. They played well partially because QB Matt Moore has developed into a solid, middle-of-the-pack starting passer in the league. He’s mostly accurate under pressure, and doesn’t make mistakes with frequency. His one mistake on the day, a flubbed shotgun snap, which resulted in a turnover and quick Romo-to-LoRo TD pass, was his only real costly error. His TD bomb to WR Marshall with pass interference and all, was a thing of beauty. He can do more of that. But the coaching staff apparently doesn’t trust him when it counts most. With under 5 minutes remaining and Miami up by 2, the Fins “O” was positioned to run valuable time off the clock and perhaps even close it out en route to victory. The Fins then ran on 2 of 3 plays (one up the middle and the other on a designed rollout slide). Only 1:32 elapsed and Dallas got the ball back, with the defense succumbing to yet another closing-minute losing drive. It is this writer’s opinion that Matt Moore had earned the opportunity to be the winning QB by aggressively attacking a desperate defense. Achieving first downs were critical; instead the coaches called for predictable, whimpish football down the stretch. Winning games in crunch time is largely the result of coaching decisions and player execution. On this national stage, the coaches let the team down.

This Week’s NFL Picks (spreads are as of Saturday’s Herald)

1. CIN (-7) vs CLE (Dalton and CedBen too much, and Gals’ DF will trample listless Brownies)
2. SD (-6) vs DEN (Bolts’ backs up against it; don’t see more Tebow magic making difference)
3. PIT (-10.5) @ KC (Ben seems healthy, and while line is big, Steeler D off bye facing Palko is bigger)
4. ATL (-9.5) vs SD (No AP for Vikes and Julio back for Dirty Birds means easy walk down “schoolyard”)
5. SEA (-3.5) vs WAS (Long West Coast trip for under-manned Skins; 12th-Man Stadium too much)

Below are my Star* ratings of Fantasy starters for this week’s games (and in order within the star list).
[5*: Absolute starter; 4*: Excellent play; 3*: Good choice; 2*: Decent but iffy; 1*: Low-level starter]:

QB:
5* – Brady, Brees
4* – Rivers, Eli
3* – Ryan, Big Ben, Cam, Dalton, Bradford
2* – Palmer, Leinert, V.Young, Tebow, Sanchez
1* – Skelton, T.Jackson, Fitzpatrick, Hanie, Ponder

RB:
5* – McCoy, Forte, Turner
4* – S.Jax, Foster, Mendy, Lynch
3* – M.Bush, CedBen, S.Green (inj) / McKnight, Mathews (inj) / Tolbert, Wells, Sproles
2* – MJD, CJ2K, McGahee, BGE, Blount, Stewart, DeAngelo, Addai (inj) / D.Brown, Jacobs
1* – Spiller, Hillis (inj)

WR:
5* – S.Smith, Welker, A.Johnson
4* – Wallace, Roddy, Nicks, Desean
3* – Fitzgerald, Cruz, Lloyd
2* – Manningham, VJax, Julio (inj), Holmes, N.Washington, M.Williams, Plaxico, AJ Green, Bowe, Harvin
1* – Bennett, Garcon, D.Moore, L.Moore, Simpson, Decker, V.Brown

TE:
5* Gronkowski, Graham, Gates
4* Tony G, Hernandez
3* Ballard, Daniels, F.Davis
2* Tammy, Celek, Keller, Gresham, H.Miller, Olsen
1* Winslow, Schiancoe, Chandler, Watson

KI:
5* Kasay, Bryant, J.Brown
4* Nugent, Suisham, Folk, Novak, Gould
3* Rackers, Sebas, Gostkowski, Hennery
2* Bironas

DF:
5* Bengals, Steelers, Jets
4* Panthers, Falcons, Texans
3* Seahawks, Saints, Chargers
2* Raiders, Patriots

By: Eric Miller

1. DAL (-7.5) @ WAS (Normally close game among division rivals, but Skins are VERY bad)
2. NYG (-4.5) vs PHI (No Vick + No Maclin = No Chance for Iggles)
3. BAL (-7) vs CIN (Bengals missing most explosive player in AJ Green outweighs Ravens sans R.Lewis)
4. CHI (-3.5) vs SD (Bears D at home too much for inconsistent Rivers and West Coast travelers)
5. DET (-7) vs CAR (Luster has worn off early surprise Panthers; Lions O will dominate & out-duel Cam)

Below are my Star* ratings of Fantasy starters for this week’s games (and in order within the star list).
[5*: Absolute starter; 4*: Excellent play; 3*: Good choice; 2*: Decent but iffy; 1*: Low-level starter]:

QB:
5* – Rodgers, Brady, Romo
4* – Stafford, Rivers
3* – Eli, Palmer, Ryan, Cam
2* – Ponder, Freeman, M.Moore, Hasslebeck, A.Smith, Fitzpatrick, Cutler, Flacco, Bradford, Dalton
1* – Skelton, McCoy, Whitehurst

RB:
5* – MJD, Forte, AP
4* – Murray, Turner, Lynch, FJax, McCoy
3* – R.Rice, Starks, Gore (inj), SJax, R.Bush, Jacobs
2* – CJ2K, Benson, Mathews, Tolbert
1* – Blount, Battle, Mo Morris, BGE, Wells, Stewart

WR:
5* – Calvin, Welker
4* – S.Smith, Jennings, Dez
3* – Roddy, Fitzgerald, Robinson (LoRo), Marshall, VJax
2* – Nicks, Manningham, Cruz, Jordy, Lloyd, D.Williams, Douglass, D.Moore, Harvin, Boldin, V.Brown
1* – Bowe, Bennett, M.Williams, Simpson, S.Johnson (inj), Gaffney

TE:
5* Witten, Gronkowski
4* Gates, Tony G
3* Hernandez, Finley, F.Davis, Pettigrew, V.Davis, Olsen, Celek
2* Gresham, Ballard, Fasano
1* Schiancoe, Watson, Dickson

KI:
5* Crosby, Bailey, Bryant
4* Nugent, Akers, Carpenter
3* Schobee, Gould, Tynes
2* Bironas, Lindell, J.Brown

DF:
5* 49′ers, Giants, Pats
4* Cowboys, Ravens, Bears
3* Packers, Dolphins, Lions
2* Bengals, Jags, Falcons, Vikings, Raiders

By: Eric Miller

The buzz around town is that the new Miami Marlins gear is available at the Aventura Mall. Have you seen the new logo, what do you think? It’s getting a lot of attention and the locals are all excited about the new ballpark. Let us know your thoughts on the new Miami Marlins hats, shirts, and other gear.

1. MIA (-3.5) vs WAS (Fins are best 1-7 team in history and Skins have zero offense – Helu who?)
2. DAL (-5.5) vs BUF (Bills have been exposed as frauds, and RB Murray is real deal)
3. SF (-3.5) vs NYG (Tough West Coast journey for G-Men after exhausting road win vs Pats)
4. JAC (-3) @ IND (Best chance for Colts to win first, but Jags’ bye-week prep plus MJD still too much)
5. CIN (+3) vs PIT (Upset special anticipates too much home-D forcing turnovers from Big Ben)

Below are my Star* ratings of Fantasy starters for this week’s games (and in order within the star list).
[5*: Absolute starter; 4*: Excellent play; 3*: Good choice; 2*: Decent but iffy; 1*: Low-level starter]:

QB:
5* – Rodgers, Brees, Vick
4* – Romo, Cam, Ryan
3* – Brady, Stafford, Eli, Flacco
2* – Big Ben, Cassel, Schaub
1* – M.Moore, Sanchez, Dalton

RB:
5* – Foster, McCoy, Forte, MJD
4* – Murray, Turner, AP, SJax, McGahee
3* – R.Rice, FJax, Gore (inj)
2* – Benson, Wells (inj), Blount, Battle, R.Bush, S.Greene, BGE
1* – Starks, Ingram, Helu, CJ, Jacobs, Lynch

WR:
5* – Calvin, Jennings
4* – Dez, S.Smith, Maclin, Wallace
3* – Julio (inj), Welker, Marshall, S.Johnson, Boldin, Desean, A.Brown, Roddy
2* – L.Robinson, Nicks (inj), Manningham, Cruz, Jordy, D.Nelson, Fitz, Harvin, AJ Green, Colston, Holmes
1* – Garcon, Wayne, Plaxico, Bennett, Crabtree (inj), M.Williams, Bowe, Lloyd, Little, T.Smith, Nate W

TE:
5* J.Graham (from the “U”), Witten
4* Gronkowski, Hernandez
3* F.Davis, Tony G, Daniels, Finley, Pettigrew, V.Davis
2* Celek, Ballard, H.Miller, Keller, Olsen, Shockey
1* Schiancoe, Gresham, Fasano, Watson

KI:
5* Crosby, Rackers, Kasay, Bryant, Bailey
4* Suisham, Nugent, Succup
3* Carpenter, Gostkowski, Akers, Folk, Schobee
2* Hennery, Ganot, Gould, Bironas

DF:
5* None
4* Eagles, 49′ers, Ravens
3* Cowboys, Packers, Bengals, Bears, Texans
2* Jets, Jags, Steelers, Chiefs, Dolphins
1* Falcons, Saints, Panthers

By: Eric Miller

1. ATL (-7) @ IND (Burner Turner to run through Colts’ porous run-D all day)
2. KC (-4) vs MIA (Fins woes continue vs 4-gm KC win-streak & brutal road venue)
3. PIT (-3) vs BAL (Big Ben is healthy, hot and will scorch overrated Ravens’ secondary)
4. NYG (+8.5) @ NE (Even without Nicks, Eli’s passing and Giants pressure keep it close)
5. N.O. (-8) vs TB (Brees to rebound from anomaly game; too much firepower for O-challenged Bucs)

The following are my Star* ratings of Fantasy starters for this week’s games:

QB:
5 Star: Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Vick
4 Star: Eli, Romo, Rivers, Ryan
3 Star: Big Ben, Schaub
2.5 Star: Fitzpatrick, Cassel
2 Star: Cutler, Sanchez, Skelton, Dalton, Palmer

RB:
5* – Foster, McCoy, Turner, Forte
4* – FJax, M.Bush, Gore, Wells, SJax
3* – R.Rice, Blount, Jacobs, BGE
2.5* – Murray, Tolbert, Starks, Benson, McGahee, Battle
2* – CJ2K, Ringer, D.Carter, P.Thomas, Sproles, Ogbonnaya, Lynch, S.Green, Grant, D.Thomas, Mendy

WR:
5* – Jennings, Wallace, Welker
4* – Austin, Dez, D.Jackson, VJax
3.5* – Bowe, Roddy, Boldin
3* – Colston, Fitzgerald, AJ Green, Cruz, Manningham, Lloyd, Marshall, S.Holmes
2.5* – Jordy, Heyward-Bey, Julio Jones, Jacoby Jones, Baldwin-KC, A.Brown, Garcon
2* – Crabtree, G.Little, Knox, L.Robinson, Wayne

TE:
5* J.Graham (from the “U”), Gates
4* F.Davis (inj), Hernandez, Witten
3* Gronkowski, Tony G, Daniels
2.5* Celek, Finley, Ballard, V.Davis (inj)
2* Clark, H.Miller, Watson, Cook, Keller

KI:
5* Crosby, Kasay, Bryant, Bailey
4* Rackers, Suisham, Succup
3* Carpenter, Gostkowski, Akers
2* Hennery, Novak, Folk, Lindell

DF:
5* 49′ers, Cowboys, Raiders, Texans
4* Eagles, Chiefs, Jets, Falcons
3* Bills, Saints, Steelers, Packers
2.5* Bengals, Ravens
2* Pats, Titans, Cards

By: Eric Miller